Applied arts is the term for the design and making of objects that are both functional and decorative, such as furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork, textiles, jewellery and bookbinding. It is generally used in contrast to the fine arts of painting and sculpture, which are valued primarily for their aesthetic or intellectual content rather than their practical use.
The distinction became important in the nineteenth century, when reformers argued that everyday objects deserved the same care and artistic attention as paintings. The South Kensington Museum, later the Victoria and Albert Museum, was founded after the Great Exhibition of 1851 partly to improve standards in design and manufacture, and the Arts and Crafts movement led by figures such as William Morris campaigned for the unity of art and craft. Continental schools including the Wiener Werkstätte and the Bauhaus took similar ideas in new directions in the twentieth century. In practice the terms applied arts and decorative arts are often used interchangeably by dealers and museums. Collectors of applied arts tend to value good design, quality of materials and workmanship, the identity of the designer or maker, and the way an object reflects the ideas of its time.
